Best of: Lessons from Liz Wiseman Becoming an Impact Player in Your Career.

Liz Wiseman provided actionable guidance for individuals, managers, and organizations looking to go beyond merely “doing the job” and deliver outsized value where it matters most. Whether you’re on your own career journey or building high-impact teams, here are hands-on insights to help you move from contributor to difference-maker.

Shift From “Doing Your Job” to “Doing the Job That Needs to Be Done” Research shows that high-performing contributors aren’t simply obeying instructions—they’re constantly scanning the environment to spot what’s most important to the organization and stepping in to address those needs. As Liz Wiseman explained, it’s about “finding the win”—what’s important now and choosing to work on the true priorities rather than sticking rigidly to your job description. Make yourself useful not only by performing your assigned tasks, but by understanding your leaders’ current challenges and looking for ways to make a meaningful impact.

Practice Upward Empathy One standout idea from Liz Wiseman was “upward empathy.” This means considering what pressures, priorities, and problems your boss faces not just your own workload. Take time to ask: What’s most important for my manager right now? What’s on their agenda? By understanding their world and aligning your efforts, you not only deliver greater value but quickly earn trust and influence.

Be Proactive and Agile Don’t Wait for Permission Great impact players are characterized by initiative. They don’t wait for explicit instructions or permission, especially in times of ambiguity. As organizations face more frequent disruptions and shifting priorities, those who step up, fill leadership vacuums, and solve problems as they emerge become indispensable. If you notice a burning issue or leadership gap, take the lead and coordinate efforts across the team then pass the baton as needed.

Build Influence Through Service True influence isn’t about having the loudest voice or commanding attention, but about reliably contributing where it matters. Serve others by asking, “Where can I be most useful?” and delivering results that support the goals of your leaders and organization. Over time, as Liz Wiseman noted, influence and trust are earned through a track record of aligning your work with strategic needs and helping others succeed.

Create a Culture That Invites Initiative For managers and talent leaders, fostering impact players requires explicit permission, psychological safety, and stretch. Give your team permission to work beyond their job boundaries, take risks, and step up when urgent problems surface. At the same time, hold people accountable for core responsibilities and set clear expectations about what “going above and beyond” looks like in your organization.

Coach and Hire for Impact Player Traits Some attitudes and behaviors are easier to coach than others. Among the most important—and hardest to teach are having an “internal locus of control” (taking ownership for outcomes) and being comfortable with informality (acting without waiting for hierarchy to be installed). Look for these traits when hiring new talent or developing your team. For coachable skills, invest in training and feedback that help staff read situations, seize opportunities, and self-manage.

Cultivate Fun and Good Energy at Work Bringing levity, fun, and positive energy to the workplace is a top factor that managers appreciate. Far from being a distraction, fun builds relationships, boosts engagement, and helps teams weather the inevitable challenges of day-to-day work. Both Liz Wiseman and Andy Storch reflected on how fun and humor consistently make people want to collaborate and make a manager’s job a delight.

Use Feedback as a Tool for Better Work, Not Personal Judgment To support growth, focus feedback on how to improve the work itself rather than making broad judgments about people. When employees understand feedback as direct input to recalibrate and make their contributions more impactful, they’re more likely to act on it and less likely to disengage or feel defensive.

Organizations: Define and Model High-Impact Behaviors Organizational values often describe “tribal average” behavior. Take the time to define and communicate what high-impact versions of initiative, ownership, or collaboration actually look like. Set clear expectations in onboarding, communicate them during team meetings, and reinforce them in performance conversations. Give employees explicit permission to step up, work on what’s important, and solve problems as they see them.

Enable High Impact in Talent Development & Learning Programs If you’re in L&D, build development experiences that equip people to act with initiative, seek out the agenda, and contribute beyond their roles. Don’t just train on technical skills; teach employees how to read their leaders’ priorities, exercise upward empathy, and self-manage in uncertainty. Consider integrating impact player behaviors into your learning frameworks and feedback programs.

Support Passion With Purpose—Not Just Personal Preference Instead of simply advising employees to “follow their passion,” guide them to work passionately on what matters most to the organization. As Liz Wiseman described, major career growth occurs when you subordinate personal preferences to organizational priorities, and then find ways to bring your energy and creativity to those missions.

Moving from contributor to impact player and cultivating more difference-makers in your organization isn’t about grand gestures or personality alone. It’s about aligning effort with business needs, taking ownership, and proactively serving where you’re needed most. By practicing upward empathy, giving explicit permission, and creating a culture of psychological safety and stretch, you can ensure your team isn’t just “doing their jobs”—they’re making a lasting impact.

Want more actionable advice from Liz Wiseman? Be sure to listen to the full episode on The Talent Development Hot Seat podcast!